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Mall Variants of Adventures of Superman 443 - was there ever a DC issue with more variants prior to New 52?
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135 posts in this topic

On 11/22/2020 at 5:03 PM, Brock said:

I was in the UK at the time, and they had a 50th anniversary edition of Radio Times, the British equivalent of TV Guide. It included a brief (2 or 3 page) Superman comic story with art by Dave (Watchmen) Gibbons. I thought it was very cool, but I ended up listing my copy on ebay a couple of months ago, where it’s attracted very little interest.

Posting a (poor) photo, since there were a couple of likes.

superman6.jpg

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On 11/25/2020 at 5:28 PM, Cpt Kirk said:

Awesome @Brock.... that seems like a pretty rare artifact.  Did you end up selling it on ebay?  If yes, would you mind telling us what was the sales price?   

Sorry for the delay... it's been a bit busy. It has not sold, so I have no price I can share.

It's pretty obscure, so I don't think people are looking for it. Low demand = low price, I suspect. I listed it in a lot with 3 other UK Superman books (including the first and second issues of the 1988 UK Superman series, complete with their free gifts), but there's been little interest. I really expected that - as a lot - it would get some traction with Superman completists.

It's the story of my collection, really - I revel in rarities and unique pieces. Sometimes that translates into good prices, but mostly it does not.

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On 11/25/2020 at 3:57 PM, Brock said:

Posting a (poor) photo, since there were a couple of likes.

superman6.jpg

Man, that is a beautiful image of Superman!  Any idea who the artist is?  Never mind... assuming it’s Dave Gibbons on the cover too based on @Brock post. Beautiful!

Edited by Iconic1s
Duh!
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On 2/21/2021 at 2:39 AM, onlyweaknesskryptonite said:

My Comic Shop posted another one on ebay tonight, but by the time I saw it , It had sold. At least it was one you already had in your collection.  20210221_013821.jpg.6cde83c9df3dd25a9adb4ae94b68ecc7.jpg20210221_013835.jpg.eecbe7c4460a15693f10cec2cd663126.jpg

Thanks, Onlyweaknesskryptonite.   It looks like the going rate for these is in the $100 to $200 range in FN condition.  

p.s.  If someone is thinking about selling one, I recommend you contact me via private message before you do that.   I would gladly pay $200 for any ones that I don't already have in my collection if in the ballpark of Fine condition.

Edited by Cpt Kirk
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18 minutes ago, Cpt Kirk said:

Thanks, Onlyweaknesskryptonite.   It looks like the going rate for these is in the $100 to $200 range in FN condition.  

p.s.  If someone is thinking about selling one, I recommend you contact me via private message before you do that.   I would gladly pay $200 for any ones that I don't already have in my collection if in the ballpark of Fine condition.

You are welcome. This looks like at least the third one My Comic Shop has had in the last couple years. I wonder of there is a way you could get them to call you first when they come across any?  Maybe I should tag them to see. @mycomicshop

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On 2/22/2021 at 9:42 PM, onlyweaknesskryptonite said:

You are welcome. This looks like at least the third one My Comic Shop has had in the last couple years. I wonder of there is a way you could get them to call you first when they come across any?  Maybe I should tag them to see. @mycomicshop

thanks!   I doubt they would be willing to contact me, but @mycomicshop might be wise to list those mall variants as auctions instead of buy-it-now.  If I don't have it, I suspect I have the means and willingness to outbid just about anyone.  

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I received an email from a guy who was an original owner of the Cranberry Mall variant.  He thinks he might still have 4 copies stored at his parent's house.  Here's the text of the email:
 
"I was reading a piece on Recalled Comics website about the Adventures of Superman 443 mall variants. It had your email as a collector of these comics. I noticed on the list that the Cranberry Mall is listed as being in Maryland. Actually I believe those comics were given out at the Cranberry Mall in Cranberry, Venango County, Pennsylvania. It’s located between Oil City and Franklin. I have four copies of that comic from that mall as I live near to it. That mall was owned by the same company that owned the Clearview Mall in Butler and both malls are of a similar design. That would explain why they both had the free comics."
 
For the record, it was just a guess on my part that the Cranberry Mall was in Maryland.  Now we know for sure where it came from.  It is always great to hear from an original owner of these mall variants.  This is the 2nd original owner that I've ever met.
Edited by Cpt Kirk
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Here's a checklist for any brave collector who wants to attempt to collect all 17 mall variants.  I can tell you that I once flew from Georgia to Minnesota to visit the renowned variant collector Jerome Wenker to buy his three mall variants (and some other great stuff) when he retired from collecting, to give you some idea of how hard it is to find these variants.  So here's the current list, and I fully expect it to keep changing.

1. Clearview Mall

2. Cranberry Mall

3. Deerbrook Mall

4. Eden Prairie Center

5. Fiesta Mall

6. Florence Mall

7. Georgetown Park

8. Montclair Plaza

9. NewPark Mall

10. North Shore Square

11. The Parks at Arlington.

12. Rhode Island Mall

13. Spring Hill Mall

14. Town East Mall

15. Washington Park Mall

16. Westgate Mall

17. Willowbrook Mall

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Congrats!  And I know that feeling.  I pulled a Spring Hill Mall variant out of the bins at 2nd and Charles after running all over Chicagoland looking for variants several years ago.  I was questioning myself for spending all that time and gas money going from shop to shop, and then this mall variant pops up.  I just bowed my head in relief and then I was on cloud nine.  

Edited by Cpt Kirk
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On 9/5/2021 at 7:43 AM, Cpt Kirk said:

Congrats!  And I know that feeling.  I pulled a Spring Hill Mall variant out of the bins at 2nd and Charles after running all over Chicagoland looking for variants several years ago.  I was questioning myself for spending all that time and gas money going from shop to shop, and then this mall variant pops up.  I just bowed my head in relief and then I was on cloud nine.  

p.s.  That Superman Man of Tomorrow #5 DCU logo variant is also not common.

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On 9/5/2021 at 4:23 PM, Cpt Kirk said:

p.s.  That Superman Man of Tomorrow #5 DCU logo variant is also not common.

Yep, seems like it. A couple of the DCUs I picked up that day filled holes in my collection!  And I found a few other bargains at the convention... I'm glad I made the effort to visit the show!

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I was looking at my spare variants this weekend and realized I have a spare Washington Park AND Georgetown Park mall variant of Adv of Superman 443.  If you anyone ever finds a mall variant that is not listed above or finds one of the three that I don't have (namely, Fiesta, Parks at Arlington, and Westgate), I would gladly trade one of my spares plus at least one hundred bucks to obtain one that I don't have.   Bounty is more if the mall variant you find is in high grade.  

902467797_wpmall.thumb.jpg.9f4cd450fe08813f1d4d3631b94d923e.jpg402614647_gpmall.thumb.jpg.203dcb57c96a94eea3699272ea7840b2.jpg

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On 9/4/2021 at 2:24 PM, Warlord said:

I can scratch #7, Georgetown Park, off the list, so I've only got 16 more to go! :ohnoez:  This is the first I've ever seen in person, and I've been searching for one ever since Kirk first posted about these rarities.

1766675299_AdventuresofSuperman443MallVariant.thumb.jpg.667c9c509e1a684d38d91f2dbde7ceee.jpg

 

I think from what I've seen in this thread that it appears Kirk already has two copies of this one!  Apparently it's a "common"! lol

I was amazed to find this copy at a local convention earlier this summer.  It was literally within 15 minutes of closing time and I had just stumbled across a dealer I had overlooked all day while I was wandering haphazardly around the floor.   After finding nothing of interest while searching the dealer's first five long boxes of dollar comics I was down to just the last box or two but kept at it.  Suddenly I saw the #443!  Like I had on so many previous searches, I pulled it out of the box while thinking "no way this will be a mall variant" and then lightning struck!  I'm super excited to find this and pleased to have it in my collection!   While I was chatting with the dealer I found that they were from Tennessee, so it seems this copy had to make a relatively short journey to come into their possession, and then up to Ohio for me to snag it.

Curiously, for the DC Universe collectors out there, I found it sandwiched with some DCUs.  I can't believe my luck that this mall variant went unnoticed by all the other collectors for the entire day.  I feel fortunate to have an opportunity to own such an interesting piece of comics history!

 

949522648_AdventuresofSuperman443MallVariantwithDCUs.thumb.jpg.390d5de629b2083655ceb04c4e458d43.jpg

 

Georgetown Park is a mall in Washington, DC. Just an FYI.

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